Rally today in Syracuse demands accountability from local police agencies

View full sizeDavid Lassman / The Post-StandardUnited As One, a new coalition for civil rights in Syracuse protests outside the Onondaga County Justice Center on the one-year anniversary of the death in the jail of Raul Pinet Jr. and nine months before that the death of Chuniece Patterson. Houston Patterson, grandfather of Chuniece Patterson attended with other family members.

Protesters from various community groups gathered at the Onondaga County Justice Center at 2 p.m. to speak out against alleged law enforcement misconduct.

The rally coincides with the one-year anniversary of the death of Raul Pinet Jr., a Syracuse man who died in a holding center following a long and violent struggle with police.

The rally was organized by the United as One Coalition, a movement formed by various cultural and community groups demanding accountability and transparency for Onondaga County’s law enforcement agencies.

The coalition was formed in response to the deaths of Pinet and Chuniece Patterson, a Syracuse woman who died in a holding center in November due to a lack of medical treatment.

Event organizers say protesters are demanding the district attorney release the findings of investigations into the deaths of Pinet and Patterson.

Protest at the Justice CenterUnited As One, a new coalition for civil rights in Syracuse protests outside the Onondaga Co. Justice Center to mark the one year anniversary of the death in the jail of Raul Pinet Jr.and nine months before that the death of Chuniece Patterson while in custody in the jail. Video by David Lassman